Chapter Text
It was eight AM Thursday morning, and the air already smelled like bullshit.
“Marinette!” Rose cheered as soon as she walked into the classroom. “I’m so excited for the party this weekend!”
Next to her, Juleka looked up through her bangs. “Same,” the Goth girl added in her whispery voice. “I’m getting ready to make the juice. Strawberry basil.”
Marinette gave them both grateful smiles, hiding a yawn behind her hand. She hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, so busy had she been finalizing costs and making last arrangements and reservations. “Thank you for helping out. I only have to finish your dresses, as well as mine, and then make the macarons and decorations.”
“Did you get your studying done?” Juleka asked.
Marinette listed her head. “Huh?”
“Le Bac,” Rose chirped. “It’s coming up! Jule and I are all set!”
“Oh no,” Marinette breathed. “I haven’t even started.” She pasted on a smile, though. “Well, as soon as I finish getting ready for the party I can study.” Glancing over to where Alya was, she shot her old best friend a smile, hoping to get one in return, but Alya just shook her head and looked away. Some bridges could never be rebuilt. At least she still had this tenuous grasp on friendship with Rose and Juleka.
“I can’t wait!” Rose exclaimed.
“Wait for what?” A sickeningly sweet voice joined the conversation, and Marinette’s smile slipped. Lila had arrived.
“The party!” said Rose brightly. “Marinette’s almost got everything ready, including our dresses! Good thing too, because it’s this Saturday!”
“Th-the party?” Lila asked.
Marinette felt a foreboding chill crawl down her spine.
“What’s wrong?” Rose was immediately at Lila’s side, blue eyes wide.
“I never got an invitation,” Lila confessed quietly, her green eyes filling with tears. Only Marinette saw the small, spiteful smile that made its way across her face.
Horrified, Rose turned to Marinette, as did Alya and Chloé. “Lila didn’t get an invitation?”
“You didn’t send her one?” Alya burst out. “What kind of--”
“Shut up, Césaire,” Chloé barked. “Let Dupain-Cheng explain herself.” Alya glowered at Chloé, and the blonde rolled her eyes and checked her manicure. “Utterly ridiculous.”
“I did send an invitation,” Marinette told them. “I sent everyone in class one.” Even if she had hovered over the Send button for fifteen agonizing minutes, debating whether or not Lila deserved to be there...she had definitely sent one. “Lila was on that list.”
“I didn’t get one!” Lila wailed. The commotion brought Adrien over from where he had been talking to Nino.
“What’s the matter?” the blonde boy asked. Marinette folded her shaking hands behind her back, hoping. Maybe Adrien would fix it.
“Marinette didn’t send me an invitation to the party that she planned to celebrate graduation,” Lila said tearfully. “I knew she hated me, but not this much. And I couldn’t even go anyway, because my mother’s making me go on an embassy trip this weekend!”
“Marinette?” Adrien looked accusingly at her, and that was when she knew.
It was over.
She’d lost.
Let Lila get her way. Marinette would be out of here soon. Off to university(she had totally forgotten about Le Bac so what if she didn’t get in anywhere?) or just the bakery, but she never had to return to Francoise-Dupont again. But the one thing she couldn’t stomach was leaving here hated by all her classmates for things she had never even done.
“Lila,” Marinette said firmly. “I. Sent. You. An. Invitation. It’s not my fault if you chose to ignore it. It’s not my fault your mother had previous arrangements. And it’s not my fault that you decided to make the one thing that I have been working for for nearly three months go awry because you felt like it.”
She’d gone too far. She knew it the second she said it.
“I’m so sorry!” Lila burst into tears, and their classmates gave Marinette aghast looks. The Italian brunette sobbed into her hands. “Why are you doing this to me? I just wanted to be friends with you! I never even wanted Adrien, so leave me alone! Please, I just wanted to have friends, but you’re making me feel so bad!”
Marinette stumbled backwards, her eyes wide. “Lila, what are you saying? I--I--”
Alya glared at Marinette with more fury than the dark-haired girl had ever seen her former friend have. “You need to chill, big-time. What you’re doing to Lila is awful.”
“Not cool, dudette.” Nino shook his head sorrowfully.
“Alya,” Marinette said weakly. “She’s lying. I was never mean to her, I swear.”
Lila lifted her head to let out a trembling laugh punctuated by another sob. “I’m lying? After everything you’ve done I thought you would be tired of using that excuse.” Her green eyes spilled over again, and Marinette fisted her hands. “I don’t know why you hate me! I’m sorry I can’t come to the party the day you planned it, but you didn’t have to be so hurtful.”
“Marinette, don’t you think you’re being a little too mean?” Rose spoke up.
“Yeah,” Alix said. “It isn’t Lila’s fault she has to take a trip this weekend. Don’t take it out on her!”
“You’re just angry because now that everyone knows what you’re really like, everyone likes Lila more!” Sabrina added.
“There’s a 83.77% possibility that Marinette never sent that invitation,” Max spoke up. “She has exhibited jealous tendencies towards Lila before.”
“What’s this about now?” came a voice from behind Marinette. She turned to see Félix, a bored expression on his sharp-featured face. Even without trying, he towered over her, his uniform immaculate as usual and his blonde hair swept over his forehead. His deep-green eyes were narrowed. “I’m trying to study for le Baccalaureate, and you all are being uncommonly noisy.”
“Marinette was yelling at Lila for going on a trip this weekend,” Nathaniel said.
“The party is this weekend,” said Félix. “Why is Rossi travelling all of a sudden?”
Lila wiped her eyes. “My mother has a diplomatic trip and I have to come along. I didn’t mean to make Marinette mad. And she never even sent an invitation!”
“It doesn’t seem like she’s mad,” said Félix. “Just rather tired.”
“I am tired,” Marinette whispered. Tired of trying so hard only for Lila to wreck everything again. So, so tired. Next to her, Félix reached out and put his hand over hers behind her back. No one else could see it, but the small gesture brought tears to her eyes. Why was the one boy who was continually cold to everyone being kind to her? Why couldn’t it have been Alya, or even Adrien?
But as she looked behind Lila, to where her former crush was standing, all she saw was resignation in his gaze. Adrien looked away after a second.
“Can’t you just leave me alone?” said Lila, then.
“I haven’t done anything to you!” It came out a scream, and her classmates backed away. Marinette was screaming in Lila’s face, tears of rage pouring down her face, when there was a hand on her shoulder. Not Félix this time, though.
Mme Bustier looked displeased. “Marinette, may I speak with you outside?”
When they got outside, Marinette expected the teacher to smile or hug her, the way she had when Chloé had ruined the bag she’d made for Mme Bustier, but the red-haired teacher just sighed. “Marinette, I thought I could count on you.”
“W-what?” Marinette couldn’t believe her ears. “Lila’s a liar! She ruined the party I spent weeks planning--and--”
“Marinette, please.” Mme Bustier held up a hand to stop her. “You’ve been my best student all year, and you are always such a shining example. What happened? Suddenly you’re acting up and yelling at Lila in the middle of the class...this isn’t like you at all.”
Marinette’s mouth opened. “She made everyone hate me, Mme Bustier! It’s not my fau--”
“Then maybe you should have tried harder,” said Mme Bustier. “I know you have it in you to forgive everyone. Where’s the old Marinette, the one that was so sweet and kind to all her classmates? Maybe you need to take some time off from school to think about it.”
“You’re suspending me?” Marinette cried.
Mme Bustier shook her head wearily. “I don’t have a choice. Collect your things and go on home.”
“I--” Marinette closed her mouth and blinked back tears as Mme Bustier walked back inside the classroom, already smiling again. “It’s not...not fair,” she whispered.
“Marinette?” someone asked. Marinette wiped the tears out of her eyes, clearing her vision, to see Félix standing in front of her. “Are you alright?”
“Ye--wait.” Marinette stared at him. “Did you just call me Marinette?”
“Of course not,” Félix snapped. “Why would I do a stupid thing like that? Just tell me if you’re okay or not so I don’t have to be bothered by thinking of you later on, Dupain-Cheng. It’s a yes or no question.”
“I just got suspended,” Marinette said miserably. “The least you could do is not be so rude.”
“You what?” Félix’s eyes widened. “Wait one moment.” He turned and stalked back into the classroom.
Mme Bustier returned, Félix behind her. “I thought I dismissed you.”
“It’s not fair,” Marinette said. “I don’t think suspension is fa-”
“And it’s not up to you, I didn’t think. Are you the teacher?”
“No,” Marinette admitted.
“You are a student,” said Mme Bustier. “So please do as I say and return home.” She turned to Félix. “Next time you interfere in any of my decisions I will inform your mother.”
“Fine.” Félix returned to the classroom, shooting a quick glance at Marinette.
Marinette turned around and ran before Mme Bustier could yell at her again, tears jumping out of her eyes as she ran out of the school.
She pushed through the bakery doors and stormed up the stairs to her room. Her parents didn’t even see her, so preoccupied with customers were they.
The kwami tried to comfort her, little voice piping in her ear. “Marinette, everything will be okay. Just keep your chin u--”
“Just leave me alone, Tikki!” Marinette hid her face in her cat pillow, and reluctantly the kwami flitted up to the rooftop to give her some space. Her sobs echoed through the bedroom, and she tried to control her breathing, but to no avail. All she could think about was how she’d been planning this party for weeks now, had everything ready to go, and Lila had ruined it. Worst of all, not one single person had stepped up to help her. The only person who had even bothered to voice their displeasure was Félix, and even then he’d probably only done it because he didn’t like Lila. No one cared about her.
A familiar whisper of wings flapped in through the hatch that Tikki had gone through. Marinette lifted her head to see an akuma butterfly flitting towards her. Alarmed, she sat up, shielding her face with her hands. Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts--
The butterfly landed on the frayed ribbon in her hands.
“No! Go away,” Marinette begged, trying to shoo it away. “I don’t want to be akumatized! I’m okay, really I am--”
The ribbon turned black, overwhelmed by her confusion and rage and sadness, and a familiar reddish tint spread across her face. The butterfly mask glowed to life.
“Manynette,” said a familiar voice. “I’m Hawk Moth. I am giving you the power to become all the parts of yourself that you wished to be. In return, all I ask is one thing. That you bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous’.”
The rage and pain and hatred. So much of it. All she wanted was to close her eyes and sleep--no, she wanted to be happy--no, take charge, do what was right--finish the dresses for the party--bake the macarons to take--tell Lila and Alya and Mme Bustier precisely what she thought of them----study for Le Bac--return to a time when she was happy--Ladybug--”Aahh!” Marinette collapsed onto her hands and knees. “I don’t want to be akumatized!”
Tikki zoomed into the room. “Marinette?” The kwami’s eyes widened when she saw Marinette clutching the blackened ribbon, the butterfly mask aglow over her face.
“No one does at first.” Was Hawk Moth….empathising with her? “But emotions are powerful. What do you want to do? Really?”
“I--I--” Marinette clutched her head. She could hear Tikki imploring her to fight it off, to not give in to the anger. Why couldn’t she just shut up? All she did was give Marinette advice to be kinder and nicer and helpful and never once tell her to stand up for herself--but no. This wasn’t Tikki’s fault. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t been mean to Lila--”
But were you? the voice in her head whispered. Were you truly mean to her, or are you just saying that?
“Marinette,” Tikki pleaded. “You can do this!”
“No, Tikki.” Marinette’s head slumped forward. “I can’t. I’m just so tired…”
The black engulfed her.
Manynette smiled.